Signal-contact.



v E. R. CUNNINGHAM.

SIGNAL GONTAGT.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 3, 1910.

Patented Oct. 10, 1911.

NMEEE E xm wifipesss p 6. Edward R Cunningham COLUMBIA WRAP" c0WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

EDWARD R. CUNNINGHAM, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-THIRD T0 E.B. IBEIGHLER AND ONE-THIRD TO FRANK C. TATE, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

SIGNAL-CONTACT.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD R. CUNNING- HAM, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in Des Moines, county of Polk, and State of Iowa, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Signal-Contacts, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a signal contact for trolleyroads, simple, strong, durable and inexpensive, in construction whichwill not interfere with the free and uninterrupted passage of thecurrent collecting device as it passes along the trolley wire andthrough the contact.

A further object is to so construct such a signal contact that thecurrent that is used to operate the car will not pass through thecontact but will continue to pass from the wire to the trolley wheel inthe same manner as it would if the wheel was not within the contact. Bysuch a construction it is obvious the efficiency in the operation of thecar is not impaired.

Another object is to construct a contact for this purpose in such amanner that it will not be necessary to cut the trolley wire, to secureit in position, or to deflect the wire from its normal position.

Another object is to so construct my signal contact that there will beno jerking or jarring of the parts when the trolley wheel comes incontact with, and passes through, the contact.

My invention relates to signal contacts which are designed to beelectrically and mechanically connected with various danger and safetysignals on an electric railroad but as the signals and their connectionsare no part of this invention I have not shown them nor will I describethe same except to make general reference thereto.

My invention consists of certain details of construction, hereinafterset forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings in which Figure I shows an inverted plan view of a part of mydevice; Fig. II shows a front end view of the same; and Figs. III and IVshow views of a modified form I employ.

Referring to the accompanying drawings the reference numeral 10 is usedto indicate a housing, constructed of wood or other insulating material,which serves to hold the operating parts in proper position, relative tothe trolley wire.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 3, 1910.

Patented Oct. 10, 1911.

Serial No. 580,405.

The numerals 11 and 12 indicate cross arm supports secured to thehousing and designed to provide means for anchoring same by crosssuspension wires attached thereto which may be secured to supports atthe side of the track.

Secured within the housing are two plates, 13 and 14:, arranged one oneach side of the wire and hinged, at 15 and 16 respectively, to theirrespective sides in such a manner as to incline slightly from thevertical, their inner ends being in close proximity to the wire 17 andparallel therewith but not connecting with it, so as to be in positionto be engaged by the trolley wheel, or other current collecting device,as it passes through the contact. The extremities of these plates arecurved to receive the trolley wheel, as it passes through, without anygreat jarring of the parts. The plates are constructed of any suitablematerial and are angled, as shown at 18 and 19, at the points where theyare hinged, the object of same being to stiifen them and also to limittheir movement toward the trolley wire, or inwardly when the wheel isnot within the contact.

The numerals 20 and 21 indicate springs designed to actuate theirrespective plates for the purpose of pressing them toward the trolleywire, and trolley wheel, when the wheel is passing through the contact.In Figs. III and IV I have illustrated a modified form of this contactwhich is practically the same except that the plates are mounted to thesides of the housing, their positions being such as to cause them to beslightly inclined downwardly toward the trolley wire and theirextremities are curved upwardly the wheel being designed to pass beneaththe plates and deflect them upwardly. The contact plates may be hingedto lie either in a vertical or horizontal plane at the side of thetrolley wire. or in any intermediate plane or position parallel with thetrolley wire, as may best suit the design and construction of theparticular kind of trolley wheel and pole or other current collectingdevice which may be employed to operate the car, and I do not wish to belimited to any particular location of these plates, relative to thetrolley wire, but to be free to secure them either in a vertical orhorizontal plane, or in any intermediate position parallel with, and ata convenient distance from, the trolley wire so as to make contact withthe trolley wheel, or

other current collecting device, as it passes along the trolley wire inits normal operation of collecting current for the operation of the car.These plates are so arranged as not to interfere with the free anduninterrupted passage or" the current collecting device as it passesalong the wire and through the contact.

My contact is so constructed and the parts so wired as to transmitenergy from the current collecting device to a setting switch but asthis is no part of this invention it has not been shown nor will it beclaimed.

The current which is used to operate the car does not pass through thesignal contact but passes from the wire to the wheel in eX- actly thesame manner as it would if the wheel was not within, or near thecontact, the groove of the trolley wheel running on the wire in theusual manner and retaining its usual and normal contact therewith, sothat its efficiency, so far as the operation of the car' is concerned,is not diminished nor is its mechanical operation interfered with in anymanner. This I consider as very important and, by this construction, itis obvious it is not necessary to cut the trolley wire or to deflect itout of its normal position, as the contact plates are located at theside of, or above, the trolley wire so that the trolley wheel, as itpasses along the wire, remains in continuous contact therewith as itpasses through the contact. In this connection it should be noted thatin most trolley contacts the current which operates the car is compelledto pass through the contact and through the flange of the wheelproducing severe arcing at the contact which causes it to rapidlydeteriorate and wear away. Also in most contacts in use the trolleywheel runs on the flange through the contact and as the diameter of thewheel to the flange is greater than the diameter of the wheel to thegroove, the speed of the wheel is greatly diminished as it passesthrough the contact and this causes a jerk or jar when the wheel strikesthe contact. In my improved contact this is entirely obviated as thespeed of the wheel does not change while it is passing through thecontact.

With my improved contact only that portion of the current which isactually used to operate the signals passes through the signal contactand the flange of the wheel and there is a little or no burning of thewheel and contact and consequently my contact gives much longer service.Furthermore with most of the contacts in general use it is necessary forthe trolley wheel to make connection with both sides of the signalcontact in order to operate the signals, and also to carry current toope ate the car, whereas, with my improved contact it is only neeessaryfor the wheel to connect with one side of the signal contact. This isvery important since at high rates of speed if the trolley wheel happensto be slightly tilted to one side it will pass through the contact andonly touch one plate, being carried through on one flange of the wheel,and, if the signal contact plates are in series, the circuit is interrupted both to the car and the signal. lVith my contact the wheel iscarried continuously on the wire and the circuit to the car is neverinterrupted and, as the contact plates are in multiple, if the flange ofthe trolley wheel touches either of the contact plates the signals willoperate.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is:

1. A trolley contact including a housing, and spring pressed hingedplates carried by the housing, said plates having a horizontal portionto engage the trolley wheel and a depending portion to engage the sidesof the housing to thereby restrict the downward movement of the plates.

2. A trolley contact including a housing, plates having sides arrangedat an angle to each other and hinged to the housing so that one side ofeach plate will engage the trolley wheel and the other side of eachplate will engage the housing and limit the movement of the plate towardthe trolley wheel, and springs secured to the housing and engaging saidplates to normally force the plates toward the trolley wheel.

3. A trolley contact including a housing, plates having sides arrangedat an angle to each other and hinged to the sides of the housing belowthe top thereof, and flat springs secured to the sides of the housing atone end and having their free ends bearing on the upper sides of saidplates, the other sides of said plates engaging the housing sides torestrict the downward movement of the plates.

EDWARD R. CUNNINGHAM. -Witnesses LUOILLE Ron, ZELL Gr. Ron.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Vfashington, D. G.

